Building Back Better after COVID-19

This policy brief reports headline findings from research investigating the impacts of Covid-19 regulations and mitigation measures on actors in South Africa’s food system. The research focuses on fresh produce in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and fish in the Western Cape. The researchers conducted 211 in-depth interviews, facilitated the production of 24 food diaries and visited 16 primary field sites. Agriculture grew 13% in the first year of Covid-19 – the only sector which grew amid a 7% contraction in the South African economy as a whole. Yet this positive picture masks rising inequality among the millions of people who derive their livelihoods from the production, processing, trade and sale of food and food products.

The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) or the Mastercard Foundation.

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